Glen here…
…with a follow-up to a previous article about Interplay terminating the development of the STAR TREK computer game "The Secret of Vulcan Fury".
"But it’s not *dead*, Glen!" cry the masses, responding to Interplay’s assertion that the game has merely been placed on "hiatus" - suggesting development on the SOVF might resume at some point in a foreseeable future.
The reason I use the word "terminated" is because I have been contacted by multiple sources about what happened with THE SECRET OF VULCAN FURY. All of the sources have indicated the word "hiatus" was *never* used when news of the project’s shutdown was announced to the crew developing it. Indeed, all of the sources have indicated the project was presented to them as being categorically killed, and the staff developing VF was dismissed, many are now (apparently) looking for new jobs.
What follows is the end result of a lot of effort and research. The information presented below has been gleaned directly from multiple sources. There were slight variances in the story told from each source, the truth is…after all…in the eye of the beholder. But for the most part, the numerous stories regarding the development of VULCAN FURY are quite consistent. In the information below, there may be a slight margin for error. As a whole, however, I believe this to be very close approximation of what really happened.
THE NEXT FEW PARAGRAPHS PRESENT THE PLOT-LINE FOR "STAR TREK: THE SECRET OF VULCAN FURY". I AM PRESENTING THE PLOT RATHER FULLY, AS MY ARTICLE MAINTAINS THE GAME IS NOT LIKELY TO BE COMPLETED.
IF YOU ARE DETERMINED TO HOLD-OUT HOPE THAT THE GAME MAY SOMEDAY SEE THE LIGHT OF DAY (WHO KNOWS? ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN!), THEN YOU WILL WANT TO SKIP ALL THE PARAGRAPHS PRESENTED WITHIN THE HORIZONTAL BRACKETS.
STAR TREK: THE SECRET OF VULCAN FURY was to be an interactive STAR TREK adventure, involving accurately rendered re-creations of the original STAR TREK crew and settings.
The story would have opened with a "teaser" set two thousand years before the time of Kirk, Spock and the gang, with a big space battle between (who would be the forefathers of) Romulans and Vulcans. Just as some Romulan "rebels" are about to win, an unseen "force" wipes them out.
Then the title sequence, which brings us into:
The 23rd Century. Kirk is escorting a Romulan Ambassador, who is in the process of seeking peace with the Vulcans.
The Ambassador is murdered, leaving Kirk, Spock, and McCoy to find out who did it, and why. Doing so would integrate the interactive nature of the game, as players would have used Tricorders and select conversation topics in an effort to analyze the crime.
Along the way, Kirk & Co. discover the Romulan Ambassador was actually murdered by his own people…a faction that did not want peace…and are using the potential for peace as an impetus to attack Vulcan. Romulan and Starfleet ships subsequently clash around Vulcan.
In the course of the story "The Secret of Vulcan Fury" would be revealed. The SECRET is that the unknown "force" which wiped out the Romulans in the game’s teaser was actually a gigantic space device hidden in a Vulcan moon named Fury - and the device still exists today. It is so specifically calibrated that it requires control by a Vulcan, who must "mind meld" with the technology to operate it.
The person who killed the Ambassador is actually a half human / half Vulcan, much like Spock. This person tries to meld with the station and steal it. Kirk and the gang stop him, and the peace process goes on its merry way.
Also slated to make an appearance in this game was the female Romulan commander (Sulian), who we met in the original series episode "The Enterprise Incident". The game would have been similar to JUDGMENT RITES, as it featured extensive pre-rendered sequences instead of "sprite graphics."
The effort to bring "Vulcan Fury" to our home computers had been plagued with many trials and setbacks. Back in 1996, it seems one of the producers on "Vulcan Fury" had quietly decided to design many elements of the game himself - leaving the rest of VF’s staff somewhat out in the cold as to what directions the "look" and "style" of the game were headed.
This prompted the person supervising said producer to bring in an additional designer and writer, resulting in a personality clash and (all-too-common in Hollywood) "creative differences". With project management in this state of disarray, the SOVF development team became disillusioned, and was unable to pull a sharp focus on what "vision" they should be working towards.
Ultimately, the producer in question was released from the project (read: fired), a division head (the supervisor mentioned above) picking up the pieces he left behind, and taking the reigns. Said supervisor then brought on a "seasoned designer" to help get the game back on track. Alas, said designer’s concepts and vision contrasted starkly with all the work which had already been done on the project. Some reports suggest VULCAN FURY might have appeared "schizophrenic" if all had progressed smoothly from that point forward.
But it didn’t.
Around this time, legendary STAR TREK scribe D.C. Fontana was brought in to collaborate on VULCAN FURY, to help refine the story, etc. By all accounts, Fontana was a consummate professional and a delight to work with. But even her presence did not sufficiently stabilize a disintegrating situation.
The division head / supervisor over SOFV was subsequently "let go", further demoralizing the crew. This was described to me as being a "necessary step", and all accounts indicate the division head’s replacement was easier to work with, more "understanding" of the gaming creation and development process, and generally helped lend cohesiveness to the frazzled SOVF team.
Further bolstering the team’s demeanor was the recruitment of an Interplay veteran with a "no none-sense approach", who helped get things done smoothly and efficiently. The crew found his focus on gaming and *storytelling* quite refreshing, and saw this person as a tremendous asset to the "Vulcan Fury" project. This new roster of creative personnel worked quite well together, the unit (collectively) was running nicely, and even managed to pull ahead of schedule on a few occasions.
Just as this creative machine steamed to full speed ahead, the rug was pulled out from under them *again* - when The Powers That Be decided THE SECRET OF VULCAN FURY needed to be released by a particular date.
This caused a problem in the development process - there was no way the game could be finished by the date The Powers That Be had mandated. There was only one solution: excise large sections of gameplay and storytelling in order to abbreviate the development process and meet the deadline.
Even though they were going to be able to present roughly half of what they had envisioned, the team decided that they were proud of what they had accomplished, could turn out a satisfactory product even with the abridgments, and proceeded towards the mandated deadline. Fontana and company were none to pleased with this turn of events, but they were left with little choice but to adhere to the schedule and "make the best of it."
Work on "Vulcan Fury" progressed, although sources indicate the publicly stated estimate of 80 percent completion is "very incorrect", and far too generous. Recording the voices of TREK actors for use in the game went off without a hitch, and all was pressing forward smoothly…at long last…when Interplay became victimized by a simple (and harsh) reality of the American economic landscape: it’s stock took a very bad fall. It had happened before, but this time was harsher.
Interplay had to cut corners somewhere, and quickly. The projects which would cost Interplay the most money to develop and realize became the immediate target for budget cuts or cancellation - regardless of the potential returns these projects might generate further down the line. THE SECRET OF VULCAN FURY was summarily canned. The people working on the project called it "Black Tuesday" - 50 Interplay employees were "let go", some were absorbed into other projects in other divisions of the company. Multiple sources indicate the word "hiatus" was never used in discussing the fate of SOFV, and words like "dead" and "canceled" were indeed uttered by The Powers That Be.
There are indications that the "technology" used to make VULCAN FURY happen is so rooted in specific software packages that another company picking up the project seems dubious at best, and doing so may not even be technologically feasible. So, the "scenes" which already exist can not be sold to another company for development - although there seems to be the vaguest hint of possibility that Interplay might be able to sell the *entire* package…the whole shebang…to another company, if someone made them the right offer. But this invites further complications: the VULCAN FURY development team is now disbanded - finding a team to finish the job without SOFV seeming bizarrely discontinuitous would be a difficult proposition.
This article is NOT meant to be a damnation of Interplay, or anyone who works (or has worked) there. It is simply an effort to educate the public about what goes in the development process of *any* creative endeavor. The end product of any merchandise is invariably affected by the inter-personal chemistry of those developing the project…by the ability of a select few to conform multiple and distinct visions into an organic "whole"…and driven by the fundamental necessities of economics.
What happened to VULCAN FURY has happened to many other projects - whether they be games, television shows, or films. However, none of this changes the fact that all of this happening to a concept as beloved as STAR TREK…and to a game as anticipated as THE SECRET OF VULCAN FURY…is unfortunate, and even a bit distasteful.
One can argue whether or not Interplay demonstrated a singular lack of vision and appreciation by canning SOFV, despite their immediate economic motivations and considerations. But when all is said and done, contemplation of the notion is a moot point. The very heart and soul of VULCAN FURY (the group making it) has been shattered and spread into the wind. There are likely too many pieces to recover to make resurrecting the concept viable, and all indications point to the game remaining an unrealized dream - and a haunting reminder that "what could of been" is sometimes completely irrelevant in the face of unforgiving and immediate realities, whether human *or* economic.
